Clay-pulverizer



(N o Model.)

j A. ITTNBR. CLAY PLVERIZER.

PatentedvJan. 1,1884.

WITNESSES Q2 INVENTOR unhony lttner,

l UNITED STATES PATENT einen;

ANTHONY ITTNER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURIi CLAY-PULVERIZER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of letters Patent No. 291,191, dated January1, 1884.

Application filed November i. 1883. (Xo model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ANTHONY IT'rNnn, of the city of St. Louis, in theState of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Apparatus forPulverizing Clay, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing.

The object of my invention is toprovide a cheap, strong, durable, andefficient apparatus for pulverizing clay preparatory to the manufactureof bricks.

The accompanying drawing represents a verv tical section of myapparatus, or so much thereof as is necessary to illustrate and explainmy t that the cutting-edges shall strike the clay to invention.

Referring to the letters upon the drawing, A indicates a vertical shaftrotating in suitable journal boXes or bearings, B B B2, above and below.These bearings may be of any ordinary character, vand the shaft may besecured in place in them adjustably in any convenient way. I haveillustrated one way, for example, in the drawing, where a a ciindicatebeams supporting these bearings, and b b b2 indicate collarsfixed upon the shaft by means of setscrews c c c2, or otherwise. Thenthese collars are fixed by means of set-screws, or otherwise, they willhold the shaft in a given posithe frame by means of screws or bolts, orotherwise, and steel tails f,'secured to the staves, in the ordinary Wayof making steel brushes. This brush may be provided with stares andteeth at its top as well as on its sides, if desired; but I prefer thearrangement shown. I

y o indicates a backing of wood to prevent the tails from beingdriveninward. The number of Vstaves of brushes upon t-he sides of thecone may be varied, and it is not necessary to cover the entire surfaceof the sides of the brush with teeth. The brush rotates rapidly inoperation within a correspondingly frustum-shaped pertop by means of ametallic cover, E, and inclosed by a canvas or other suitable covering,E. The case and its cover are preferably made of sheet metal aboutone-eighth of an inch thick,with perforations about one fourth of aninch in diameter, and as numerous as consistent with the integrity andproper strength of the case. The case maybe made of wire-cloth,and maybe in half-sections, to facilitate putting on and taking off. The brush-teeth are preferably about one thirty-second of an inch thick andthree-sixteenths of an inch wide, or bladed in forni, and are set andthe brushes rotated so be pulverized. The length of the teeth may beVaried at will, but when new they should be preferably about three tofour inches long. All these details relating to dimensions, Snc., may bevaried at pleasure by the constructor without departing from thesubstance of my invention.

F indicates a hopper-spout through which the clay is admitted to thebrush.

G indicates ahinged door of the cover E, by which ingress may be had tothe brush,to examine its operation.

H Hindicate supporting-beams'for the cover and the shell, the shelldepending from the cover; but these details of construct-ion may be alsovaried at pleasure.

I indicates an elastic collar or packing above the floor K, throughwhich the shaft A passes, the purpose of which is to prevent dust frolnentering the lowest journal-box. L indicates waste or loose packingapplied around the shaft beneath the floor and above thelowest box'forthe same purpose.

The dimensions of the brush and its shell, as well as of the otherparts, maybe varied at will; but a good size for the brush will be athirty-five inches at the bottom.

It will be observed that the shell extends considerably above the brush.The object of this is to permit the shaft and brush to be ad" j Listedupward gradually from time to time as the teeth wear away and becomeshorter. By thisI means the teeth may always be kept in the properrelation and proximity to the inner surface of the shell until they areall worn out,

diameter of twenty-five inches at the top and IOC Hto

and thus the service of the brush can be very greatly prolonged, whichis a very material matter of economy.

The advantages of a vertical frustumshaped pulverizing-brush oftliischaracter are in praetice very material in the preparation of clay forthe manufacture of bricks, because all of the lumps or granules of theclay are subjected to repeated blows and pulverizing action of the teethas the ela y passes downward through the mill, and there is absolutelyno refuse or tailings.

It is of material importance to have the shell perforated, because theclay passes out from the upper part of the shell through the perforatonsas quickly as it is sufficiently pulverized, and falls down outsideofthe shell, between it and the covering' Il. Centrifugal force, due tothe rapid rotation of the brush, thus causes a good part of the clay topass out of the shell and out of the way. The result is that the brushonly has to operate upon such clay `as remains insufficientlypulverized, and its action is therefore not obstructed by the presenceof clay that is already fine enough. Consequently the action of themachine requires less power to do a given amountot' pulverizi11g,tl1ewear of the brush-teeth is less, and its work is more rapid.

It will be noted that the hopper-spout I11 is inclined toward the shaftA, so that the feed of the clay to be pulvcrized will be in thedirection of the center of the brush,wl1ere it will be delivered as nearthe center of the cap T as practicable. Consequently, by centrifugalforce, as it falls down the sides ,of the cap on its way to the brush,the clay will be spread out and delivered to the brush all around theouter margin of the cap, instead of being` delivered to the brush at onepoint, as would be the case if thc hopper F were directed to deliver theclay directly to the teeth of the brush in one place. This arrangement-makes a better feed,because it distributes thc clay within theapparatus somewhat before it reaches the brush or pulverizer proper.Besides this, the inclined cap serves to prevent the clay from piling up011 top of the brush-body, and thus loading` down and obstructing theaction of the brush.

I do not intend to limit my invention to the mechanical details ofconstruction indicated above and illustrated in the drawing, becausethey may be very considerably varied and yet embrace the substance of myinvention, and my invention is applicable to other uses besides thepulverizing of clay.

l l l l Instead of using a frustu11i-shaped brush and shell, 011e ofcylindrical form mi ght be einployed, and also an invertedfrustum-shaped brush and shell might be used; but I prefer the forni andarrangement illustrated; and I ain aware that a cylindrical brush andshell, the latter not perforated, are not new, and I do not claim them.It will be seen that the upper tails of the brush are shown as a littleshorter than the rest, and I prefer that arrangement, because itfacilitates the feed of the clay and the pulverizing operation. I preferalso to employ a conical-shaped cap, T, over the body of the brusl1,tokeep the clay off from it and to facilitate the feed. It ispreferable,gen erally, to crush the clay between heavy rolls beforepulverizing it.

\Vl1at I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent oftheUnited States, is-` 1. In a elay-pulverizing apparatus, the combinationof a frustum-shaped adjustable rotating brush with a perforated metalliccase, substantially as set forth.

2. In a clay-pulverizing apparatus, the combination ofthe adjustableshaft and brush, the perforated case, the cover E, and the hopper spoutor inlet, substantially as set forth.

3. In a clay-pulverizing' apparatus, the combination of a brush rotatingon a vertical axis and inclosed by a perforated ease, and a hopper-spoutor equivalent means for permitting the feed of clay at the top,substantially as setforth.

4. In a clay-pulverizing` apparatus, the combination of a brush rotatingon a vertical axis within a perforated case, and the whole inclosedwithin a covering, IC', substantially as set forth.

5. In a clay-pulvcrizine` apparatus, the conibination ofa brushrotatingt on a vertical axis within a perforated case,and a cap, T,substantially as set forth.

G. In a elay-pulverizing apparatus, the combination of abrush rotating`on a vertical axis within a perforated case, a cap, T, and an inclinedhopper'spout, I?, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 31st day ofOctober, A. D. i883.

s llora' ms.

